Water operated tumbler washer



June 4, 1957 R. J. KOEPPE I 2,794,196

WATER OPERATED TUMBLER WASHER 2 Sheets -Sheqt 1 Filed Dec. 2, 1954 m M m N 1 ROBERT J. KOEPPE ATTORNEY June 4, 1957 R. J. KOQEPPE 2,794,196

WATER OPERATED TUMBLER WASHER ROBERT J. KOEPPE ATTORNEY United States Patent f 2,794,196 WATER OPERATED TUMBLER WASHER Robert J. Koeppe, West New York, N. L, assignor cf one-third to Otto Staubach Application December 2, 1954, Serial No. 472,669 2 Claims. (CI. 75)

The present invention relates to washing apparatus .and more particularly to a device for washing drinking glasses or tumblers.

It is contemplated that the present invention will have particular utility in establishments that dispense beverages such as restaurants, soda fountains and taverns. These places of business where drinks are sold in glasses have a great need for a fast, convenient and thorough means for washing the drinking glasses. This need is well recognized and has resulted in various types of electrically operated devices for washing the glasses. The devices now in use are usually large, cumbersome and susceptible to malfunction and breakdown. Repairs of such machines .are generally costly and time consuming. Another customary method .of washing glasses is by reciprocating them over a stationary brush mounted in a vessel of water. This method is satisfactory when ,a small number of glasses are to be washed. However, establishments in the business of selling beverages have large numbers of glasses that must be thoroughly and quickly washed in the course of business. Manual washing is both inefficient and tiring and is often done in water that has been dirtied by previous washings.

The present invention provides a device which is designed to overcome all of the above disadvantages. Accordingly, water power derived from the conventional sink tap is utilized to drive a turbine especially designed to operate an arrangement of cooperating brushes. The brushes are so related and positioned that a properly positioned drinking glass will be washed and scrubbed both inside and outside and buffed to a high polish. Water from the sink tap passes through a pair of nozzles and is directed against the end piece of a horizontal cylindrical rotor to cause rotation thereof. The inner surface of the cylindrical rotor is equipped with a plurality of brushes which engage the outside of a drinking glass positioned within the cylinder.

Another set of brushes is mounted on a shaft which is coaxial with the rotor and secured thereto. Thus the latter set of brushes also rotates to polish the inner surfaces of the drinking glass. The water used to drive the turbine passes into the washing chamber to be used for washing the glasses. Thus a continuous supply of clean, fresh water insures that each successive glass is free from possible contamination from a prior washed glass.

A primary object of this invention is to provide an improved means for washing tumblers, drinking glasses and like objects.

Another object of this invention is-to provide a device for washing drinking glasses that is of simple construction and conveniently operated. v

A further object of this invention is to providea'mechanical glass cleaning device that derives its power from the flowing water used in the washing process.

These and other objects of the present invention will "ice '2 become apparent from the following description taken with the drawings in which I Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the glass wash ng device;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4"-4 of Fig. 3 showing the turbine nozzles and the end disk of the rotor or washing cylinder.

Referring now to the drawings, the glass washer is enclosed in a cylindrical housing 10 which may be made of a sheet metal such as aluminum or copper. The housing is supported by three legs 11, 12 and 13 which are fastened to the housing in any suitable manner such as by riveting. Each leg is equipped with a rubber suction cup 14 by which the entire assembly may be firmly held to a washboard or other convenient surface. It should be noted that the suction cups on the laterally extending legs face downward to engage a horizontal surface while the suction cup on leg 12 is disposed at an angle and faces rearward as seen in Fig. 3. This arrangement permits the cup on leg 12 to engage the vertical edge of a sink or washboard while the cups on legs 11 and 12 engage the horizontal surface thereof. Thus the entire device is disposed at an angle with the horizontal surface to permit proper drainage of the wash water as will become apparent hereinafter.

A spindle 15 has an externally threaded end which passes through the center of the closed end of housing 10. A clamping nut 16 is screwed to the threaded end of the spindle to securely hold a hose 17 and hose coupling 13 in alignment with the hollow stem of spindle 15 as seen in Fig. 3. A flange 1-9 on the spindle cooperates with clamping nut 16 to hold the spindle assembly in a fixed position as shown. An enlarged base portion of the spindle has a pair of threaded holes which receive the ends of nozzles 21 and 22. The nozzles may be made of tubular material threaded at one end. As clearly seen in Fig. -4, each nozzle extends radially outward from the spindle. The outer ends of the nozzles are bent counterclockwise and forward to terminate in close proximity to rotor disk 23'.

When the nozzles 21, 22 are screwed into in the spindle base, they are aligned with a duct 24 which passes through the spindle perpendicular to the axis thereof and hence connects with the hollow center of the spin-' dle. This permits water from the hose 17 to flow ,into the hollow center of the spindle and also to the nozzles through connecting duct 24. As the water leaves the ends of the nozzles it causes rotation of a rotor assembly generally indicated by numeral 25. 'This assembly includes a cylinder 26 of sheet metal or plastic material of a diameter somewhat smaller than that of housing 10. One end of the cylinder is closed by rotor disk 23 which fits snugly into the cylinder and may be secured thereto by a close friction fit. An opening is provided in the center of rotor disk 23 to receive a hollow shaft 27 with a friction fit so that a rigid rotor assembly is provided comprising cylinder 26, disk .23 and Shaft 27.

Referring to Fig. 4, it is seen that .the rotor .disk' is provided with a series of holes 28 arranged in .a circle near the outer periphery of the disk. The .ends of nozzles .21, 22 hereinabove described are located adjacent the series of holes at an vangle to the axes of the holes. It is seen therefore that as the water or other fluid leaves the nozzles in the form of a jet, it is directed against the sides f hQlQS 8 to cause r tation of the rotor assembly ,inthe manner of an impulse turbine. In the embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, the rotor turns in a counterclockwise direction as seen in Fig. 4.

When the rotor assembly 25 is positioned within the washer housing, shaft 27 fits loosely around the narrow cylindrical portion of spindle 15 so that the rotor is free to turn. The end of the spindle is grooved to receive a spring clip 20 which holds shaft 27 in position on the spindle. In order to minimize the friction between the shaft and the spindle, the latter is cut down as at 29 so that the bearing surfaces are limited to the ends of the spindle. Thus less friction is encountered and the rotor will freely turn under the force of the water from the nozzles.

A flat ring 31 is secured adjacent the inside surface of rotor disk 23 by three screws 32. The ring 31 is of the same diameter as rotor disk 23 so that it also fits snugly within cylinder 26 adjacent the ends of holes 28. Spacers 30 are provided to position ring 31 a small distance away from the inside surface of disk 23 so that openings 28 are not closed by the ring. As the water from the nozzles impinges against the sides of holes 28 the rotor is caused to rotate and the water passes freely through the holes against ring member 31 which direct the water radially inward a short distance where it then flows into the washing chamber of the rotor.

A plurality of brushes 33 are fastened to the inside surface of rotor cylinder 26 and extend radially inward as more clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The brushes 33 are arranged in three sets of three brushes with the brushes of each set helically arranged as shown. The brushes may be fastened to the cylinder 26 by means of screws 34 which pass through the cylinder and are received in threaded holes in the base of each brush. It is apparent that brushes 33 serve to clean the outside surface of a drinking glass inserted axially within the washing chamber.

A brush holder 35 is provided to fit over shaft 27 and rotate therewith. In order to prevent slippage between these members a small circular opening in holder 35 is made to coincide with a hole 36 in shaft 27. A pin 37 on the inside surface of a clip ring 38 passes through the aligned holes to insure that holder 35 turns with shaft 27. A set of three brushes 39, each with a screw threaded base portion is secured to the end of the brush holder. These brushes are equidistantly spaced circumferentially around the holder and extend radially outward. Another brush 41 is screw threaded to the end of holder 35 as shown in Fig. 3.

It may be readily understood that the water or other fluid from the nozzles causes the rotor assembly to rotate. Thus all of the brushes revolve and the water passes into the washing chamber within cylinder 26. A drinking glass to be cleaned is inserted open end first into the end of the washer in the direction of arrow 42. As the glass enters the washer, rotating brushes 39 thoroughly clean the inside surface of the glass and the brushes 33 clean the outside surface thereof. As the glass is inserted all the way within the washer, brush 41 engages the bottom inside surface of the glass and the flexible bristles of the brush will spread to cover the entire surface. Water from the nozzles is of course splashed about the washing chamber, thoroughly wetting the brushes and all of the surfaces of the drinking glass to be cleaned to insure a complete washing and cleaning operation. The hose 17 is conveniently coupled to a sink faucet in any suitable manner. It is seen that the glasses are washed in continuously running water which serves to carry away dirt and other foreign matter.

The wash water runs off through openings or perforations 43 in the bottom of the housing. In order to protect the operator from being splashed with the wash water during the washing process, a splash ring 44 of rubber or 7 other similar flexible material is provided. The outer edge of ring 44 is fastened to a wire ring 45 of spring steel. The ring is snapped into a circular groove in the inner surface of the housing near the forward edge thereof.

An alternative construction of the hereinabove described rotor assembly would be that cylinder 25, disk 23 and shaft 27 be formed of one casting. These elements may be of any suitable plastic or other material and convenience of manufacture would determine whether they are formed integral or of separate sections as illustrated in Fig. 3. The two constructions are considered equivalents and the terms cylinder, disk and shaft as used in the appended claims of course apply to either construction.

Though the present invention has been disclosed with reference to a specific embodiment thereof, it is understood that this is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

l. A device for washing drinking glasses comprising a washing chamber formed by a rotatably mounted cylinder and a disk secured to one end thereof, a shaft fastened at one end to said disk coaxial with said cylinder, first brush means secured to the inner surface of the cylinder, second brush means secured to said shaft, said disk having a series of openings passing therethrough, a plurality of nozzles located outside the washing chamber and having the open ends thereof adjacent said series of openings and angularly disposed to the sides of the openings whereby fluid passing out of the nozzles is directed against the sides of said openings to cause rotation of said cylinder, disk and shaft, said fluid passing through said openings into said washing chamber, and a flat ring located adjacent the inner surface of said disk and spaced therefrom, said ring having an outer diameter equal to the inside diameter of said cylinder whereby water passing through the disk openings is directed toward the center of said washing chamber.

2. A device for washing tumblers comprising an open ended cylindrical housing, a spindle mounted within said housing, a shaft rotatably mounted on said spindle, a fiat disk secured at the center thereof to said shaft, a cylindri- I cal member secured at one end to said disk coaxial with said shaft, a pair of nozzles each secured at one end to said spindle, a duct passing through said spindle and connecting with said nozzles, means to secure a water hose to said spindle joining with said duct means, a first plurality of helically arranged brushes secured to the inner surface of said cylindrical member, each of said brushes extending radially inward, a second plurality of brushes secured to said shaft and extending radially outward therefrom, a single brush secured to the end of said shaft and extending axially outward, said flat disk having a circular set of openings therethrough, the ends of said pair of nozzles being located adjacent said set of openings and angularly disposed with respect to the sides thereof whereby jets of water from the nozzles are directed against the sides of the openings to cause rotation of said disk, said water passing through said openings, a ring shaped member secured to the side of said disk remote from said nozzles and spaced therefrom whereby water passing through said openings is directed radially inward, and means secured to the open end of said housing to prevent water from splashing out of said housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 944,679 Lawler Dec. 28, 1909 1,375,102 Masser Apr. 19, 1921 1,706,189 Schmidt Mar. 19, 1929 FOREIGN PATENTS 306,694 Great Britain Feb. 28, 1929 620,480 Germany Oct. 22, 1935 834,513 Germany Mar. 20, 1952 

